According to the LAPD, undercover officers from the department's Special Investigation Section witnessed the robbery of a cellphone store and then saw a group of men, including Long, get into a gold Pontiac.

The group was under surveillance because police suspected they were involved in a series of similar robberies in the area, officials said.

LAPD Dets. Donald Walthers and Jeff Nolte followed the car away from the scene of the alleged robbery and used a "standard manuever" to block the vehicle, police said.

"The detectives also used their vehicles for cover and identified themselves as police officers, ordering the suspects to surrender," according to an LAPD news release.

Police allege that at that point, Marquis Walker, an 18-year-old black man who was seated in the back of the car, pulled a gun and pointed it in the direction of the detectives. Walthers and Nolte each fired at the car.